In the cargo holds of various types of large aircraft, the cargo is transported by conveyor apparatus with the following components: roller tracks for transport along the axis of the aircraft and at certain sites, in particular in the region of the cargo-hold door or where there is a change in the number of roller tracks from three to two or from two to one (in so-called multidirectional areas), a plurality of ball elements, i.e. direction-independent transport elements, on which containers, pallets or similar items of freight can be shifted and rotated in all directions.
To reduce the risk of accidents it is also known to provide, in the region of the door through which the cargo hold is loaded and in particular at its edges, latch elements that are pressed downward while the load is being transported inward and snap up again when the item of freight has passed, so that the item of freight can no longer be transported outward or fall through the loading door. However, in particular when an aircraft that is to be loaded is standing in an unfavorable position, or the floor of the cargo hold is not horizontal for some other reason, problems can arise, in particular when heavy items of freight are being loaded in the multidirectional areas.
An object of the present invention is to provide a conveyor apparatus for use in a cargo hold of an aircraft that facilitates and improves the loading of items of freight over conventional apparatus.